The Syracuse Museum holds a collection of Arabic and Norman coins that I have been studying for a few years paying special attention to previously unknown or understudied coin hoards. This research focuses on the archive documents related to the findings acquired by the Museum thanks to the zealous work of archeologist Paolo Orsi who, from 1888 onwards, recovered them (in fact, he bought them) in the vast territory belonging to the Superintendence of Antiquity of Syracuse, which extended its jurisdiction to central and eastern Sicily and even, from 1923, to the whole region. Even though it has not been sufficiently emphasized up to date, the acquisition of this Collection, within the broad field of Arab-Islamic studies, was a crucial moment in the safeguarding of Arab numismatic records. Its importance – also in light of the difficulties encountered daily – allows us to speak of a real “orsian miracle”*.
